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The construction sector has come together to warn the Government of the danger to the industry if there is a "cliff edge" for vital EU workers created by Brexit, as it targets building 300,000 homes a year.

Official statistics suggest that 12.6pc of construction workers across the UK are foreign-born, of which 5.7pc are from EU-accession countries, such as Romania. That proportion rises to around 50pc in London and the South East.

The sector is also suffering from a skills shortage caused by a cocktail of an ageing population and a lack of new entrants, put off by the boom and bust cycle; in the next 10 years the workforce will decrease by 20-25pc. Some, including Mark Farmer who wrote a Government...